Kangla Fort

Kangla — meaning 'dry land' in old Meitei — was the ancient capital and royal palace of Manipur for close to two thousand years, the seat from which the Meitei kings ruled until the British annexation in 1891. It stands on the banks of the Imphal river in the centre of the city, and to Manipuris it is far more than a monument: it is the sacred and historic core of their identity.

Within its walls lie the remains of temples, ceremonial halls and coronation sites, and the fort is guarded at its western gate by a pair of great white Kangla-Sha — mythical dragon-lion figures that are an emblem of Manipur. After 1891 the fort became a British and later an Assam Rifles cantonment; it was only returned to the people of Manipur in 2004, and has since been restored as a public heritage park.

Walking the grounds today, among old moats, shrines and the rebuilt royal structures, is the best way to understand the depth of Manipuri history and the pride that surrounds it. It sits close to the Ima Keithel women's market and the other historic sights of Imphal.